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Nikki Giovanni is a world-renowned poet, writer, commentator, activist, and educator. Over the past thirty years, her outspokenness, in her writing and in lectures, has brought the eyes of the world upon her. One of the most widely-read American poets, she prides herself on being “a Black American, a daughter, a mother, a professor of English.” Giovanni’s honors and awards have been steady and plentiful throughout her career. The author of some 30 books for both adults and children, and the recipient of some twenty-five honorary degrees, has led her to become a “National Treasure.” Always insisting on presenting the truth as she sees it, Nikki Giovanni has maintained a prominent place as a strong voice of the Black community. Her books can be used in Language Arts, Social Studies and to promote cultural awareness. Giovanni’s focus is on the individual, specifically, on the power one has to make a difference in oneself, and thus, in the lives of others.
Wow! I really loved learning about Nikki Giovanni, and your prezi was absolutely amazing! I think that Giovanni is definitely an author that I would want to have my students read her works. I definitely think that it is amazing that she has been able to write texts not only for children but for adults too. Especially, considering all the difficult themes that she uses throughout her readings. From your prezi, I get the impression that Giovanni is an author that I can utilize within the classroom with young and older students. I think that this is great because I think that the concepts and themes that are present within her works are important for students of all ages to be informed about. A concern of mine has always been how to introduce certain topics of controversial culture relevance to young students in the classroom?
I really enjoyed your author presentation on Nikki Giovanni. I had never heard of her before! I liked the quote at the beginning quite a bit. I think that that quote would be a good classroom quote to share with my kids. As the previous commenter said, it would be good to use Giovanni’s work with all aged children since she is so diverse. How would you like to see her work used in the classroom? She writes about racial respect, but do you think you should find other texts from other cultures to support/back up what she has written? Another thing that I liked about your author presentation is that you actually included her poems rather than just saying their names. I enjoyed being able to read them.